So I need to fill my bed with soil. It's 4x8 and two feet deep. I had to go deep since my yard I on a hill. I took the original soil which is more like fill dirt, mixed it with a truck load of composted manure and all the compost I had at home. Since my compost was mostly browns it was a bit dry so I splashed a few gallons of water on the whole mix and covered it up to cook for a few weeks. I have more compost and such than soil.
Am I on an ok track with this? I don't want to fill my bed up if I'm not. What do you all think?
Soil for my raised bed
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If the compost isn't finished it will keep cooking and taking nitrogen, the composted manure will help with that.
If you did a good blend of 50% soil and 50% good compost. It would be a basic mix. The compost is best if it is made from several sources not just manure. Unfinished compost would be like tilling in mulch. I do have experience with that. Unless you plan on planting a cover crop first like hairy vetch in the North or cowpeas in the south, your plants may have to compete with the unfinished compost for nutrients. Usually, you would want to use good topsoil and not subsoil.
https://eartheasy.com/blog/2014/04/3-use ... ised-beds/
If you did a good blend of 50% soil and 50% good compost. It would be a basic mix. The compost is best if it is made from several sources not just manure. Unfinished compost would be like tilling in mulch. I do have experience with that. Unless you plan on planting a cover crop first like hairy vetch in the North or cowpeas in the south, your plants may have to compete with the unfinished compost for nutrients. Usually, you would want to use good topsoil and not subsoil.
https://eartheasy.com/blog/2014/04/3-use ... ised-beds/
My soil/compost pile is from several sources. With that said there is likely less than 25% soil in the mix. I don't want to buy soil if I can avoid it. Can't really garuntee it's going to be any better than fill dirt unless I buy a premium mix. I do back up against the woods. Can I use topsoil dug up from the woods?
Yes that is great soil the ph can vary with the different kind of woods tho. Pine forests tend to go as low as 4 in ph, while good leaf forests go up to around 6. (This is the typical digits for sweden. so may be a bit different in your area but gives a hint.) And don't go dig up to much in one spot you don't wanna hurt the forest that much.
Pine forest debris works nice with berries like rasberry and blackberry to name a few.
Pine forest debris works nice with berries like rasberry and blackberry to name a few.
I can't make out from your photos what kind of soil you're using but at the early stage I'd include some organic compost that is nitrogen rich. As imafan26 said, don't leave it out for too long before you start planting. Also ensure the soil has good drainage to it, I've seen public parks that have flower bed soil that look like they belong in a marshy bog garden, but the're growing crocosmia and gladioli. This way if you DO overwater, you'll recover - it provides a flowerbed that needs less maintenance and more self sustaining.
Last edited by Mr Tulips on Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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applestar
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What is your "fill dirt" like? if it's clay, then maybe balance with some sand (you have enough organic matter in there now that I wouldn't anticipate the "cement" effect. However, I suppose drainage is less of a concern for you since this IS on a hill.
If it's sand, then I might consider a bit of clay/silt -- maybe dredged from bottom of a pond.
You want all three basic elements of soil aggregate -- organic matter, sand, and clay/silt. Have you tried the "scoop of soil in a jar" test to see what the layers are like? (A big tall wide mouth jar like 1/2 gal canning jar or even mayo container, Scoop of soil 1/2-3/4 full, add water to top, mix well then let settle completely to see how the layers form.)
Top soil from the woods is certainly good addition, but don't overdo it because the trees and others -- plants, and critters, insects, all the way down to microbes -- need that stuff. You could also be bringing back unwelcome guests.
Where are you located? (Put in your profile)? What are the temperstures like now? I like imafan's suggestion to plant something in there right away. Even weeds growing in the bed will start the soilfoodweb cycle going,
If it's sand, then I might consider a bit of clay/silt -- maybe dredged from bottom of a pond.
You want all three basic elements of soil aggregate -- organic matter, sand, and clay/silt. Have you tried the "scoop of soil in a jar" test to see what the layers are like? (A big tall wide mouth jar like 1/2 gal canning jar or even mayo container, Scoop of soil 1/2-3/4 full, add water to top, mix well then let settle completely to see how the layers form.)
Top soil from the woods is certainly good addition, but don't overdo it because the trees and others -- plants, and critters, insects, all the way down to microbes -- need that stuff. You could also be bringing back unwelcome guests.
Where are you located? (Put in your profile)? What are the temperstures like now? I like imafan's suggestion to plant something in there right away. Even weeds growing in the bed will start the soilfoodweb cycle going,